This cemetery was transcribed and pictures
by Daundra J. & Bud Baker, Sept 2004
Well, I thought I had located all the burial grounds in Berrien
and Cass Counties, and another site comes to view. Just goes to
show, that you must keep your eyes and ears open. I had heard
about this family (Cornelius and Susannah Stevens Sparks) burial
site some time ago, but really never pursued it, because I was
told the two burials had been removed to Oak Ridge Cemetery in
Buchanan; NOPE, they are still buried on private land. I got wind
that it still the burial site still exists from a family member
I was doing some research for, so I went on a hunt and did some
old fashioned detective work. Sure enough, I found it (not that
it was lost), located in a small overgrown scrub patch right in
the middle of a soy bean field. We tramped back to the site and
found just one marker remains, Susannah's. I know there is another
marker, that was there at the last family visit (Cornelius), yet
to be located. That will have to wait until fall when most of
the over growth has died off.

More information can be found on the Sparks Family Tree Data
page and Sparks Family Forum. This Sparks family and its ancestors
have been and are well researched.. I would be happy to share
the Sparks information I have as it relates to our family in Berrien
County.

Thanks! To Pauline
Hammond for giving me an update and additional information on
this family.

Of course a big thanks to Brenda for giving me this
fine site to post this information. Daundra Baker [email protected]

NOTICE:
At the express wishes of the property owners, I have not given
their names or the exact location of these burials. If you are
a family member or have a true interest in this family, please
contact me and I will gain the permission and take you there.
The property owners are more than willing to have family visit
the site and also to clean it up. They do not want to disturb
the burials. When they first purchased the land they were informed
of the graves. Taking their concerns to the county, they were
told to, "plow it under because, we (the county) have no
record of the burials." They could not do that. So out of
respect they now, farm around the little burial site.

1)
Cornelius Sparks...born, June 11, 1789 in Rowan Co, NC...died
Aug. 17, 1862 in Buchanan Township, Berrien Co, MI.
It is his marker that we were unable to locate in 1968 and it
was "lying flat and broken in half and read as follows: "Our
Father, Cornelius Sparks, died Aug. 17, 1862."

The Christian Record, 1862, reads: "Cornelius Sparks...died
at home of his son, Levi, Aug. 17, 1862, at 73 years of age. Brother
Cornelius Sparks, when over 50 years of age, "embraced the
Christian Faith" and for twenty years was a faithful servant
of our adorable Redeemer. Brother Sparks left nine children and
a large circle of friends to mourn his loss."

Sparks Family notes: "Cornelius Sparks was buried beside
his wife in the family cemetery on his home farm in Berrien County,
near Buchanan, Michigan."

Clipping from early Buchanan, Michigan newspaper (paper unknown,
undated clipping) reads: "Died, Mrs. Susanna Sparks, consort
of Cornelius Sparks of this village, on Thursday the 25th. inst.
The deceased was 67 years old and had lived with her husband for
almost fifty years. She united with the Christian Church about
twenty years since, of which she was a faithful member until her
death. She left a husband, nine children and a large number of
friends to mourn her loss. She died with a well formed hope of
blessed immortality beyond the grave."

Cornelius Sparks Family History

Cornelius was the son of David and Mary Ann (Little) Sparks
Sr. Susannah was the daughter of Spencer and Elizabeth (Robard/Rupert)
Stevens. They were married in Rowan Co, NC on Dec. 14, 1812. About
1814 they moved, by Ox Cart, with their small son, Joseph, to
Wayne Co, IN. They remained there until about 1828, when Cornelius
took his family to Berrien Co, MI and settled in Michigan Territory
(Sec. #15 of Niles Twp) near the Saint Joseph River Bend. About
three years later he removed his family to Buchanan Twp, where
he bought a farm for $1.00 a quarter acre from the government.
It was on this farm they raised their family of 11 children and
were buried.